Itinerary

I have had a few requests for my itinerary... here it is.

On 1 Apr. at 3AM I drive to SFO and drop the car at Hertz rental return by 5AM.
I check in at American Airlines by 5:30AM. My flight departs SFO at 7AM and arrives in Miami [MIA] at 3:15PM [no cell phone until MIA]: it takes 5hrs. 15min. I'll have to kill time at MIA before checking in at 7:30PM [cell phone until 8:35]. The flight departs MIA at 8:35PM and arrives at GIG [Rio De Janeiro] the next morning at 6:05 AM. 8hrs. 30mins.

2 Apr. [I collect baggage then go to Customs/Passport Control]. The Othon Shuttle starts running at 8AM [I don’t know if I’ll wait or take a taxi].

2 Apr. I am staying at The Lancaster Othon Travel Hotel – Av. Atlantica, 1470, Copacabana, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Check in is at 3PM!!! I hope I can get in earlier.

2 Apr. I will have lunch and go sightseeing with a Brazilian friend and then off to the beach. He will be picking me up at 11:30AM

3 Apr. Sightseeing and Beach.

4 Apr. I pack and take a taxi to Port Maua and board the Rotterdam.
The cruise begins.

5 Apr. At sea.

6 Apr. We arrive at Salvador De Bahia at 9AM. We are ashore from 9AM to 6PM
The cruise continues.

7 Apr. We arrive Maceio at 10AM. we are ashore from 10AM to 7PM. I celebrate 61 years on the planet! Happy Birthday to Rick and Kathy! The cruise contines.

8 Apr. We arrive at Recife at 8AM. we are ashore 8AM to3PM [a short stay]. I hope to visit Olinda. The cruise continues.

9 Apr. to 12 Apr. at sea.

12 Apr. We arrive at Banjul, The Gambia at 10 AM. We are ashore 10AM to 6PM and i will go on a HAL excursion called "Banjul Highlights." The cruise continues.

13 Apr. We arrive at Dakar, Senegal at 8AM. we are ashore 8AM to 7PM. I plan visit the Isle De Goree, the sight of an old slave depot; now a museum. The cruise continues.

14 Apr. at sea.

15 Apr. We arrive at Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Tenerife in the Canary Islands at 12 noon. We are ashore 12 noon to 9PM. I am visiting the pyramids at Guimar. It's a HAL excursion. The cruise continues.

16 Apr. We arrive at Arrecife, Lanzarote in the Canary Islands at 8AM. We are ashore 8AM to 5PM. it's a barren islands so I think I'll just do the beach and shops.

17 Apr. At sea.

18 Apr. We arrive at Casablanca at 6AM. we are ashore 6AM to 7:30 PM.
The extended hours is to accomodate a couple of excursions [to Fez and to Marakesh]that take 8 to 12 hours. I will visit the great Mosque in Casablanca and then take the train to Rabat for the day. The cruise continues.

19 Apr. We arrive Cadiz at 8AM. we are ashore 8AM to 4:30PM.
I will try to visit Sevilla [or Jerez if Sevilla doesn’t work]. The cruise continues.

20 Apr. We arrive in Lisbon at 7AM and disembark around 10AM. I will take a taxi to the Borges Residencial [Hotel] on Rua Garrett 108, Lisboa, Portugal. Check in time is at 2PM.

24 Apr. I check out of Borges Residential at 2PM, then fly from Lisbon to GIG [Rio] arriving at 9:40PM on Air Portugal.

24 Apr. I will taxi to a late arrival at the Aeroporto Othon Travel Hotel in Centro.
Av. Beira-Mar 280, Centro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I have three days with nothing planned save for checking out Lapa, Niteroi [Oscar Niemeyer's wonderful Art Museum]and maybe Buzios.

28 Apr. I depart GIG [Rio] at 8:45PM on American Airlines to Miami arriving at
4:15 AM on 29 Apr. 8hrs. 30mins. I have a 3hr. 35min. layover at MIA [do breakfast].

29 Apr. I depart MIA at 7:50AM on American Airlines to SFO arriving at 10:50AM.

I will catch Airporter to Sonoma around 12 Noon arriving home by 2PM.

Bon Voyages

Perhaps the best part of leaving is the Bon Voyage party, the Bon Voyage dinner, the Bon Voyage breakfast. In one week I have gained back the weight it took me six months to lose. I don't care! It makes me look more formidable so I won't get bothered by the pickpockets and muggers. I think I'll wear a fake Rolex just to test my theory. It's a wonderful "Unintended Consequence." The latest "dust-up" on this trip is the outbreak of Dengue Fever in Rio de Janeiro. They have had quite a few cases of late and the recommendation is to wear long trousers and long sleeve shirts. Of course you can spray on your DEET as well. According to the container you can treat your clothes as well. I picked up an aerosol can and a container of DEET wipes for the face. I'll be there a total of 5 days and I intend to visit the urban jungle, Floresta da Tijuca, and the Botanical Gardens which are supposed to be spectacular. I now have a contact in Rio [a musician] who will show me the sights. That is the best! Well it's 56 hours and counting. The next post will be from Miami.
Ciao!

Traveler's Tip

Recently I was meeting two friends at SFO [San Francisco International Airport] who were returning from a fishing trip in Belize. They checked their bags through to SFO but had a few hours layover in Dallas. Their plane arrived and we waited as the luggage spit out of the conveyor onto the carousel. After several stops and restarts [and over an hour] it became apparent that their luggage was not on that flight. A line was forming at the luggage claim office and as we approached we saw their bags in a cordoned off area. They had made it on an earlier flight. So... if you have a layover and your bags are checked through you may want to do a cursory inspection of the holding area in baggage claim. It may save you some time.